Preview capsules for today's men's and women's college basketball games

View full sizeScott Shaw, The Plain DealerCharlie Lee and the Cleveland State Vikings will try to regain their footing at the Wolstein Center today against Butler while coming off a disappointing loss Thursday against Valparaiso.

Men

No. 3 Ohio State vs. No. 11 Michigan State

Tipoff: 6 p.m., Value City Arena, Columbus.

TV/radio: ESPN; WKNR AM/850.

Notable: The Buckeyes (21-3, 9-2) lead the Spartans (19-5, 8-3) by one game in the Big Ten standings, with Wisconsin and Michigan another half-game back. Michigan State will challenge Ohio State defensively with quick point guard Keith Appling and versatile forward Draymond Green. The size of Michigan State big men Derrick Nix and Adreian Payne could make life a little difficult for OSU leading scorer Jared Sullinger. This feels like another one of those games when the Buckeyes will need William Buford at his best, and he's coming off a career-high 29 in Tuesday's win over Purdue.

Next for OSU: Tuesday, at Minnesota, 9 p.m.

Doug Lesmerises' prediction: Michigan State 73, Ohio State 70.

-- Doug Lesmerises

Cleveland State vs. Butler

Tipoff: 11 a.m., Wolstein Center, Cleveland.

TV/radio: ESPN2; WHK AM/1220.

Notable: CSU (20-5, 10-3 Horizon League) looks for a quick rebound against Butler (14-12, 8-6) after its stunning performance Thursday night in a loss to Valparaiso. Senior swing man D'Aundray Brown will not play, meaning 6-8 freshman Anton Grady (Cleveland Central Catholic) is likely to start. That means little-used Luda Ndaye and/or Devon Long could see some action inside. Butler only has five road wins this season, but one came Thursday at Youngstown State.

Next for CSU: Tuesday, at Milwaukee, 8 p.m.

Kent State vs. Ball State

Tipoff: 11 a.m., M.A.C. Center, Kent

TV/radio: ESPNU; WNIR FM/100.1.

Notable: KSU (17-6, 7-3 Mid-American Conference) continues to stay on the fringe of the MAC's East Division race as it has won five straight and sits in a tie for third. The Cardinals (12-10, 4-6) were rolling early in the season but have lost five straight and have not scored more than 58 points in any of the setbacks. A victory would give the Golden Flashes a sweep over MAC West teams for the third straight season.

Next for KSU: Wednesday, vs. Buffalo, 7 p.m.

Akron vs. Northern Illinois

Tipoff: 7:30 p.m., Rhodes Arena, Akron

Radio: WARF AM/1350.

Notable: Akron (17-7, 9-1 MAC) continues to win, even when the multitalented Zips have not played well. The Zips have failed to score 70 or more points only once during their current six-game winning streak. NIU (3-19, 2-8) is coming off a rare win over Miami of Ohio, Akron's next opponent.

Next for Akron: Wednesday, vs. Miami of Ohio, 7 p.m.

-- Elton Alexander

Baldwin-Wallace vs. Capital

Tipoff: 3 p.m., Lou Higgins Center, Berea.

Notable: Baldwin-Wallace (14-8, 8-6 Ohio Athletic Conference) has won six of its past eight games. Capital (15-7, 12-3) is in first place in the OAC. The Yellow Jackets are coming off a 78-62 win over JCU in Berea. Sophomore All-OAC forward Kyle Payne (Brunswick) led B-W with 24 points. He tops the team in scoring at 14.4 ppg. Sophomore guard Kevin Krakowiak (Holy Name) is second at 13.0 ppg. Capital has won 10 of its past 11, including four straight and an 86-75 win over Otterbein on Wednesday night in Columbus. Junior forward Spencer Niekamp tops Capital in scoring at 14.2 ppg.

Next for B-W: Wednesday, at Mount Union, 7:30 p.m.

John Carroll vs. Wilmington

Tipoff: 3 p.m., DeCarlo Varsity Center, University Heights.

Notable: Seeking to avoid its first three-game losing streak in five years, John Carroll (15-6, 10-5) will try to break the three-team logjam for second place in the OAC. The Blue Streaks defeated the Quakers (12-9, 10-5) in Wilmington, 82-64, on Jan. 7, with JCU senior Mark Hester scoring 16 points to lead the way. JCU's league-leading offense (82.6 ppg) is led by Corey Shontz, who tops the OAC in assists per game (4.43) and is ranked in the top five of five other categories. Wilmington's Malcolm Heard is a top-10 scorer (14.3 ppg) in the OAC. JCU is 41-7 at home over the past four seasons and 7-0 at home this season.

Next for JCU: Wednesday, vs. Muskingum, 7 p.m.

-- Compiled using information from the colleges' sports-information departments.

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